Brandon Friedman projects

Brandon Friedman is the General Deputy Assistant Secretary in HUD’s Office of Public Affairs. Friedman first served in the Obama administration as the Director of Online Communications at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is also a combat veteran and author of the memoir The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War.

Friedman emerged from the shadows most recently to disparage the former soldiers in Bowe Bergdahl’s platoon who have testified unanimously to Bergdahl’s desertion. He emitted a series of disparaging comments on Twitter. One in particular captured the spirit of inquiry that characterizes the Obama administration. On Wednesday Friedman ventured this thought on Twitter:

Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership? (1/5)

In the video below, Megyn Kelly takes up Friedman’s rhetorical question with the former soldiers who served with Bergdahl.

Having had a chance to see Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers with our own eyes, we can deduce that Friedman’s rhetorical question presents a pure case of projection. Friedman is one of the (political) psychopaths of the Obama administration who will do and say anything in the service of the Dear Leader. They are uninhibited by conscience.

Because we have had the opportunity to see Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers with our own eyes, Friedman’s trash talk could not stand. It slightly embarrassed the administration. Fox News reports that this classic public relations nonapology has been issued by the HUD press office under Friedman’s name:

“I’d like to clarify tweets I wrote last night on my personal Twitter account concerning the return of Bowe Bergdahl,” Friedman, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, said in the statement. “First, I do not speak for the Administration on national security issues in any capacity—public or personal.”

Citing his service, he said he has the “highest regard” for fellow service-members.

“While I just wanted to make the point that the public should wait before passing judgment, I unfortunately used my own poor judgment in choosing inappropriate language that many view as disparaging to U.S. service members,” Friedman said. “That was certainly not my intent and I regret making the comments on my personal account in such a way. I apologize to those with whom I work in the Administration, at HUD, and, most importantly, to any service members who took offense.”

Yes, many view abusing soldiers as “psychopaths” as disparaging. What about Friedman himself? He ain’t sayin’ — except that it’s not what he intended. Even this public relations nonapology is shot through with dishonesty.

With it Friedman continues to serve in his high office at the pleasure of the president. It is therefore worth noting and memorializing the revealing disgrace from which Friedman and his colleagues in the administration now hope to move on.